acumen
the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.
B-47, B-58
long-range U.S. strategic jet bombers of the period.
capricious
prone to sudden changes in mood or behavior.
cerebrate
to think over.
chagrin
feel distressed or humiliated.
depravity
moral corruption.
disparity
a great difference.
dour
sullen or severe.
dungarees
denim trousers; jeans.
emeritus
(of the former holder of an office, especially a college professor) having retired but allowed to retain their title as an honor.
fallout
radioactive particles carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion or accident and gradually fall back as dust or in precipitation.
fastidious
concerned about accuracy or detail.
haphazard
lacking any obvious principle of organization.
ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile; missiles capable of crossing oceans and hitting targets thousands of miles away.
incongruous
out of place or inappropriate.
infiltrate
to filter into; spy.
jalopy
an old car in a dilapidated condition.
lancet
surgical knife.
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, made up of the U.S., Canada, and much of Western Europe.
noxious
harmful to health.
proxy
the authority to represent someone else.
radiation
the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles that cause ionization.
ramrod
force a proposed measure to be accepted or completed quickly.
roentgen
a unit measure of radiation.
SAC
Strategic Air Command; the United States Air Force Major Command during the Cold War, responsible for land-based strategic bombers and intercontinental missiles.
Sputnik
launched by the Soviet Union, the first artificial earth satellite sent into orbit.
Strontium 90, Carbon 14
Radioactive isotopes of strontium and carbon, common in radioactive fallout.
tedium
boredom.
transmute
to change in form or nature.
travail
painful or laborious effort.
